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Topic: Ack! Urgent help needed! (Read 1957 times)

I'm scheduled to do the reading tomorrow while the Bishop is at our parish, but I've noticed conflicting sources as to which passage I'm supposed to read. The GoArch website says that on March 9th we read St. Paul's Letter to the Hebrews 12:1-10. However, the Liturgy book from my church says that on Cheesefare Sunday we read Paul's Letter to the Romans 13:11-14/14:1-4.

Does anybody know the answer?

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"He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death, nor mourning nor crying nor suffering, for the old order of things has passed away."

According to the Ecumenical Patriarchate the answer is Hebrews 12:1-10, in honor of the 40 martyrs of Sebaste. Normally when you have a double-commemoration (Cheesefare & 40 Martyrs), the "lesser" one gets the Epistle and the "greater" one gets the gospel (as is the case today).

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"O Cross of Christ, all-holy, thrice-blessed, and life-giving, instrument of the mystical rites of Zion, the holy Altar for the service of our Great Archpriest, the blessing - the weapon - the strength of priests, our pride, our consolation, the light in our hearts, our mind, and our steps"Met. Meletios of Nikopolis & Preveza, from his ordination.

According to the Ecumenical Patriarchate the answer is Hebrews 12:1-10, in honor of the 40 martyrs of Sebaste. Normally when you have a double-commemoration (Cheesefare & 40 Martyrs), the "lesser" one gets the Epistle and the "greater" one gets the gospel (as is the case today).

Is that different than the Slavic tradition? I'm used to reading two Epistles when there's a double commemoration.

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Cleveland's Reply #2, is, of course, correct. In the future, I recommend checking the "Kanonion" which is in the "On-Line Chapel" part of the "goarch" web site. It is issued by the Patriarchate, which is infallible, I mean, always right.

My priest and I post the Kanonion in our sacristy for reference. I suggest, if anyone chants with you during Orthros, in your priest's presence, ask the bishop to confirm the reading, which Cleveland advises of above. Or, ask your priest before the Orthros starts, to ask the bishop during Orthros, just to confirm the opinion. Typically, bishops appreciate that type of deference to them, as celebrant.

And, yes, Veniamin, Reply#3, to my knowledge, the Slavic tradition does read two epistles. The Liturgical Assistant in my Greek Orthodox Archdiocese parish, is a priest on-loan to us from the Carpatho-Russian Orthodox Diocese, and he has advised me that his jurisdiction would read two epistle readings on a day such as this.

I suggest, if anyone chants with you during Orthros, in your priest's presence, ask the bishop to confirm the reading, which Cleveland advises of above. Or, ask your priest before the Orthros starts, to ask the bishop during Orthros, just to confirm the opinion. Typically, bishops appreciate that type of deference to them, as celebrant.

Is that different than the Slavic tradition? I'm used to reading two Epistles when there's a double commemoration.

In the Greek tradition we don't do double-readings. Instead, you'll find what I described above, where the Epistle reading will be for one feast, and the gospel for another. This will be common if a semi-major saint's feast falls on a "regular" Sunday - the Epistle will be for the Saint, the Gospel for the Sunday. Obviously, the exception is with the major feasts of the Church.

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"O Cross of Christ, all-holy, thrice-blessed, and life-giving, instrument of the mystical rites of Zion, the holy Altar for the service of our Great Archpriest, the blessing - the weapon - the strength of priests, our pride, our consolation, the light in our hearts, our mind, and our steps"Met. Meletios of Nikopolis & Preveza, from his ordination.

"O Cross of Christ, all-holy, thrice-blessed, and life-giving, instrument of the mystical rites of Zion, the holy Altar for the service of our Great Archpriest, the blessing - the weapon - the strength of priests, our pride, our consolation, the light in our hearts, our mind, and our steps"Met. Meletios of Nikopolis & Preveza, from his ordination.

According to the Ecumenical Patriarchate the answer is Hebrews 12:1-10, in honor of the 40 martyrs of Sebaste. Normally when you have a double-commemoration (Cheesefare & 40 Martyrs), the "lesser" one gets the Epistle and the "greater" one gets the gospel (as is the case today).

I've never heard of this but I'll mention it to the protopsaltis for the see since he puts out all of the typicon notes. Though the Hebrews reading was published in the bulletin, the reader read from Romans. Since we Antiochians normally follow the Greek typicon, I'm all the more confused.

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I've never heard of this but I'll mention it to the protopsaltis for the see since he puts out all of the typicon notes. Though the Hebrews reading was published in the bulletin, the reader read from Romans. Since we Antiochians normally follow the Greek typicon, I'm all the more confused.

My comment was a general note, based on my observation of what the Typikon of the Great Church calls for. If one follows Constantinople's Typikon, then Hebrews was it...

Now, of course, the 40 Martyrs of Sebaste is a pretty major saint-day in the Greek Tradition; their feastday, when it falls during lent, always is accompanied by a Presanctified Liturgy (unless it falls on a Saturday, when it is celebrated with a Divine Liturgy). But it does accurately demonstrate the guiding principle: that when you have a sizable commemoration, but one that is still lesser than the Sunday, then the Saint is honored with the Epistle reading, while the major feast (in this case a Sunday, which is Major except when overlapping with a Feast of the Lord) is honored through the Gospel reading.

In the Greek tradition there is no double-Epistle, just as there is no double-Gospel, during Divine Liturgy - one reading each, one lesson each.

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"O Cross of Christ, all-holy, thrice-blessed, and life-giving, instrument of the mystical rites of Zion, the holy Altar for the service of our Great Archpriest, the blessing - the weapon - the strength of priests, our pride, our consolation, the light in our hearts, our mind, and our steps"Met. Meletios of Nikopolis & Preveza, from his ordination.